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Summary

Cybersecurity for Electric Energy Infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), global equipment suppliers, and other stakeholders announced the establishment of the Electric Energy OT Security Profile working group hosted by the ISA99 standards committee. The Electric Energy OT Security Profile will be a cybersecurity work product using the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards. The final product will be a formal ISA/IEC 62443 application guide, recognized globally as the consensus work product for securing various control systems used in electric energy generation, transmission, and distribution operations.

The ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards is designated as a horizontal standard, applicable to many industry sectors and applications. Industry groups use the ISA/IEC 62443 standard series as the basis for securing industrial control systems. DOE’s Securing Energy Infrastructure Executive Task Force (SEI ETF) evaluated available industry standards and recommended the electric energy operational technology (OT) applications be formalized as ISA/IEC 62443-5 security profile applications—gaining international energy sector consensus on applying ISA/IEC 62443 to electric energy OT applications.

The working group is seeking participation from industry groups, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE), and other industry stakeholders, to ensure consideration of and alignment with other cybersecurity work product development efforts. The initiative will use the DOE SEI ETF’s Reference Architecture and Profiles for Electric Energy OT as a foundation.

“The Securing Energy Infrastructure Executive Task Force developed an OT-specific reference architecture for electricity systems to provide a common language for control system environments that can be used to design and assess security applications,” said Puesh Kumar, director, DOE Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). “The ISA working group represents an opportunity to validate these profiles and put them into practice for the energy industry. CESER is excited to see energy sector stakeholders carrying forward the task force’s reference architecture work.”

Eric Cosman, co-chair of the ISA99 Standards Committee, noted that, “Global standards and supporting specifications provide efficiencies for end users, product suppliers, and system integrators that design, deliver, and support products and systems all around the world. One specification and one globally recognized certification provides needed transparency and reduces the regulatory burden on manufacturers.”

Companies and individuals interested in participating in the Electric Energy OT Security Profile working group should contact Eliana Brazda to be added to the roster. —By Steven Aliano

EnQuest Wins ISA100 Wireless Excellence Award

The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute presented its ISA100 Wireless Excellence in Automation Award for 2021 to EnQuest, an oil and gas production and development company with operations in the U.K. North Sea and in Malaysia. Managing director Andre Ristaino presented the award at the ARC Forum conference in Orlando in June.

ISA100 Wireless, also known as international standard IEC 62734, is an open, universal IPv6 wireless network protocol that establishes the Industrial Internet of Things. IPv6 addressability makes ISA100 Wireless the only industrial network protocol compatible with the Internet of Things. The ISA100 Wireless Excellence award is presented each year to an end-user company that has demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation in the use of ISA100 Wireless technology.

The 2021 award was presented to EnQuest for its Sullom Voe Terminal in Scotland and its novel application of ISA100 Wireless technology for new approaches to gas detection and achieving a safe and secure gas detection system upgrade on a vast scale. Cybersecurity and reliability were key considerations in the gas detection system upgrade.

EnQuest’s Sullom Voe Terminal is located at the northern end of the largest of the Shetland Islands and is one of the largest oil terminals in Europe. It handles production from many oil fields in the east and west Shetland Basin in the North Sea. Fourteen different companies have ownership interests in the terminal, which receives production through the Brent and Ninian 36-in pipeline systems.

Previous award recipients include Fuji Oil Company (2020), ILBOC (2019), BACPO (2018), ALCOA (2017), Phillips 66 (2016), Petronas (2015), Nippon Steel (2014), and RasGas (2013). 

Find out more through the ISA100 Wireless Interest Group on LinkedIn.

Updated Schedule for ISA Fall Hybrid Events

New virtual events with in-person components provide convenient attendance and live networking opportunities. The live components of the events are supported by ISA sections and/or regional partners. The locations shown indicate the time zones during which the virtual events will take place. Find out more and register.

• Digital Transformation – North America, 25 August, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET. In-person location: Houston, Texas. Local partner: ISA Houston Section.
• Digital Transformation – India, 20 September, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. GMT+5:30. In-person location: Faridabad, Haryana, India. Local partner: National Power Training Institute (NPTI) and Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
• Digital Transformation – Malaysia, 5 October, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. GMT+8. In-person location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Local partner: Petronas.
• Cybersecurity Standards Implementation – North America, 26 October, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET. In-person location: Houston, Texas. Local Partner: ISA Houston Section.
• ISA Automation, Leadership and Technical Education – North America, 7–9 November, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. ET. In-person location: Galveston, Texas.
• Cybersecurity Standards Implementation – Middle East, 6 December, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. GMT+3. In-person location: Saudi Arabia. Local Partner: Saudi ARAMCO.

ISA Automation & Leadership Conference: In Texas and Online in November

A new event that combines ISA’s annual leadership conference with two days of technical presentations will welcome attendees both online and in-person in Galveston, Texas, in November. The three-day event, 7–9 November, will be held at the Galveston Island Convention Center. It combines workshops and association meetings with presentations on important industry topics like digital transformation, cybersecurity, Industrial Internet of Things, smart manufacturing, and process automation.

Planned sessions for the multi-track event include a cybersecurity hackathon. Speakers include subject matter experts from the U.S., Middle East, Brazil, Malaysia, Spain, and India. The event also includes an exhibition area where the latest automation and cybersecurity products and technology will be on display, as well as the ISA Honors and Awards gala. Information and registration are online.

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